Sunday, June 01, 2008

Raulston Arboretum - Plein Air

Sigh -- there are just some days when things don't work. Yesterday, sitting in the shade, lovely!!! trying to 'paint' just didn't work - no matter how I tried ... I 'somewhat' rescued this plein air attempt at home (at least enough to post), but I'm not happy with it a bit.

The biggest problem, I think, was/is trying to 'paint' instead of 'plein air sketch' ...different things really, with 'perfection' -- or something close to that, forever frustrating the one attempting the work. I have so much to learn about plein air and painting and attempting to get a completed 'painting' plein air for me, at least right now, simply does nothing but frustrate the heck out of me! Mercy, when will I learn!! LOL I post this nonetheless, as a reminder to myself that there are few folks who can complete a 'painting' plein air to their own satisfaction. So stop beating myself up.

Still, I did get a chance to sit in a lovely quiet spot at the Raulston Arboretum, mixing those many greens! LOL and listening to the birds and the "Red Hat Ladies," and plant collectors, and photographers and volunteers and visitors all who came by to snip a shrub here, oooh and ah about those red garden amaranth I was attempting to sketch there, walk the path a bit to the left, and simply enjoy the sunshine before the heat and humidity melted us after lunch.

Today, my son brings me a new computer -- which means down time while we reload my programs, printer and the like, transfer files and what not -- but the promise of a faster connection and more storge space is an allure I can't resist! LOL

5 comments:

despite your frustration it is still a lovely painting. I too have had to learn that plein air paintings are meant to be studies and not finished paintings. I'm actually starting to enjoy the process and then leaving them alone rather than trying to perfect them afterwards. I think wc sketching and oils are a lot more fun plein air than trying to finish a "real" wc painting plein air.

Lin, Your greens and shadows and lights are lovely in this. It's hard to go out in plein air and not want to finish with a perfectly completed piece. But it doesn't always work out that way. I come home and sometimes add to the plein airs too.

You are being way to hard on yourself, as usual, but that's the problem with perfectionism. I think it is very difficult to go from painting inside and taking all the time you need, to doing those quick sketches plein air. It's like you have to be a split personality and forget one whole side of what you've learned! But it is a lovely painting -- not like your others -- but that's the beauty of it!Hugs,Lorraine